The Colbert Report
George Packer
TV Flash files “George Packer” as hour 52 of 1447 in the TV Flash guide — The Colbert Report (2005–2014) on Comedy Central, season 2006, episode 20, aired 2006-02-09, 30 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S2006E20: listed hour 52 of 1447 in the The Colbert Report guide, hour 20 of 161 in season 2006. It aired 2006-02-09 (30 min). The listed hour before it is “Alan Dershowitz” (S2006E19). Next is “Lama Surya Das” (S2006E21). Broadcast log — titles and dates, not a plot bible.

Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Stephen finds a better way to look at the Iraq war than George Packer's critique of it.
Viewer FAQ
Where does George Packer sit in the The Colbert Report guide?
S2006E20 is listed hour 52 of 1447 — hour 20 of 161 in season 2006, season 2006 episode 20.
When did The Colbert Report S2006E20 air?
George Packer aired 2006-02-09 and is listed at 30 minutes.
Do I need Stewart's Daily Show first?
Helpful context: it spun off in 2005. The Report is its own character-host satire — Colbert playing a pundit until the mask made news.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Stephen Colbert plays a billowing cable pundit until the mask starts making real news. The Colbert Report coined truthiness, ran Super PAC stunts as performance art, and spun off from Stewart into Emmy-winning character satire that took the bluster more seriously than the bluster did.
Comedy Central spun a correspondent into a full-time pundit mask in 2005 and watched the character leak into real campaigns. The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert with Ben Karlin and Jon Stewart among the architects, ran through 2014 and ended when Colbert moved to network late night. Right-wing blowhard as performance art. Truthiness as Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year 2006 — **a dictionary metric, not a vibe.** Super PAC stunts as performance art. The mask making actual news. Ten seasons, 1,447 episodes.…
Filed against
- Stephen Colbert as Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert farmed correspondent heat on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart — fake newscast as civic classroom, Crossfire-takedown legend — then played a billowing cable pundit on The Colbert Report until the mask made real news.…